Where Do We Stand on the Cast for 2021’s “The Batman”?

By: Keaton Marcus

Set for a release in June, 2021—”The Batman” has finally gotten some casting updates, with some controversy and some anticipation, where do we stand with these recent choices? Matt Reeves’ take on the Gotham-born vigilante will center around Bruce Wayne still learning the ropes to protecting his beloved city, but it’s no origin story. A couple iconic villains have been thrown into the mix, including Catwoman and the Riddler, but it's unclear if Reeves will surprise us later with more. Also, Commisioner James Gordon will also be one of the main characters, who is a beloved role from both the comics, a couple films and the TV show “Gotham”. We take a deep dive into what’s gonna happen in two years time, and these cast updates.

ROBERT PATTInSON AS BATMAN

Maybe half a year ago, star Ben Affleck was supposed to continue his involvement in “Batman” movies. This was after he played the titular hero in Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which pitted him against Henry Cavill’s Superman, and grossed over 873M worldwide—and 2017’s Justice League, which put together DC’s elite team, and earned nearly 658M in the global box office. He also had a minor cameo in 2016’s Suicide Squad, but never showed up for much. After the rumors of Affleck’s return, the role of the caped crusader was recently handed to star Robert Pattinson. Pattinson’s involvement received some serious backlash, especially cause the guy’s biggest films were the Twilight franchise (393.6M, 709.7M, 698.4M, 712.2M and 829.7M worldwide respectively). However, Affleck’s take on Batman wasn’t exactly excellent either, and it may be the right thing to do to completely diverge from the DCEU timeline. Pattinson may seem like a real pretty boy with limited talent, but you never know.

zoë kravitz as catwoman

Kravitz has finally been cast as Selina Kyle, a.k.a Catwoman. Why do I say finally? Well, maybe seven years ago, Kravitz was supposed to be cast as Kyle in 2012’s sequel The Dark Knight Rises, however, they said she was to “urban” for the role, and handed the femme fatale to excellent star Anne Hathaway, who shined in the role. Kravitz will now get her chance to impress audiences in two and a half years from now, and she’s certainly got potential. Just last year, the actress portrayed an animated counterpart of Mary Jane in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which was critically acclaimed, receiving an Oscar for Best Animated Movie. Otherwise, another superhero role was as flying mutant Angel Salvadore in 2011’s X-Men: First Class, a success with the critics as well. She also had a supporting role in 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road, which won a whopping six Oscars, and was a success in the box office. Furthermore, Kravitz nabbed the role of Leta Lestrange in both installments of the Fantastic Beasts duo. Oh yeah, this isn’t her first rodeo—the big question is, will she be able to pull it off as the master of seduction?

jeffrey wright as commissioner gordon

Commissioner Gordon has been portrayed many different times, by various actors. In the three films of The Dark Knight trilogy, Gordon was played by veteran Oscar winner Gary Oldman, however, five season show Gotham focused on a younger James Gordon, portrayed by a thrilling performance from Ben McKenzie. In The Batman, its back to middle-aged Gordon, who will be performed by Jeffrey Wright. Wright made his bones in the role of Felix Leiter in 2006’s James Bond installment, Casino Royale, which received nearly flawless reviews, and topped the box office. Cause of the success, in 2008, Wright again played Leiter in sequel Quantam of Solace, which was stronger in the financial area. Fast-forwarding, the actor nabbed the role of Beetee in the second, third and fourth films in the Hunger Games franchise, all massive successes. His latest hit was 2015’s Pixar and Disney collaboration of The Good Dinosaur, which grossed 332M worldwide. The guy certainly has talent, especially in his three roles alongside Jennifer Lawrence in the Hunger Games series.

paul dano as the riddler

The Riddler is an iconic character in the comics, but has only been adapted for the big screen once, along with a supporting role in TV. That was in 1995, when comedic star Jim Carrey starred in the role of Edward Nygma in Batman Forever. Otherwise, in the aforementioned Gotham series, Nygma was portrayed by Cory Michael Smith, who was a fantastic addition. Emmy-winner Paul Dano is supposed to nag audiences with question marks in the year 2021. Dano’s best films include 2006’s Little Miss Sunshine, which grossed 100.5M worldwide on a budget of only eight million, but its real strong suit was with the critics. Additionally, Dano scored a role in 2007’s western There Will Be Blood, which was both acclaimed, and earned 76.1M globally on a 25M cost, also grabbing two wins from the Oscars. Recent hits for the actor include 2012’s time travel themed thriller Looper, which had extremely warm reception, and grossed 176.5M in the box office, and both Prisoners and 12 Years a Slave in 2013, hits both financially and critically. His latest effort was indie film Wildlife, which had success in its limited release, and propelled excellent approval ratings on review aggregator sites. He’s got an Emmy in the belt, he’s had many solid hits in the box office and even more with quality—what could go wrong?